Developmental psychology
hide'Developmental psychology', also known as human development, is the scientific study of systematic psychological changes that occur in human beings over the course of the life span. Originally concerned with infants and children, the field has expanded to include adolescence and adult development, aging, and the entire life span. This field examines change across a broad range of topics including motor skills and other psycho-physiological processes; cognitive development involving areas such as problem solving, moral understanding, and conceptual understanding; language acquisition; social, personality, and emotional development; and self-concept and identity formation.
Developmental psychology includes issues such as the extent to which development occurs through the gradual accumulation of knowledge versus stage-like development, or the extent to which children are born with innate mental structures versus learning through experience. Many researchers are interested in the interaction between personal characteristics, the individual's behavior, and environmental factors including social context, and their impact on development; others take a more narrowly focused approach.
Developmental psychology informs several applied fields, including: educational psychology, child psychopathology, and forensic developmental psychology. Developmental psychology complements several other basic research fields in psychology including social psychology, cognitive psychology, ecological psychology, and comparative psychology.
For more information about Developmental psychology, read the full article at
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News tagged with development
Blackberry buddies up to game developers
Electronics / Consumer & Gadgets
Nov 09, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
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Research In Motion (RIM) on Monday announced it is making Blackberry devices friendlier to game applications, as the business-oriented smartphones try to show a more playful side.
Commercialization of new solar technology to boost solar efficiency
Nov 09, 2009 |
3.9 / 5 (8) |
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A pioneer in solar power in the 1990s before it became "sexy," University of Houston Professor Alex Freundlich recently entered into a collaborative research agreement with U.K.-based start-up QuantaSol for the development ...
Parents just don't understand
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Nov 05, 2009 |
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Recent studies investigating the question of parental control in the west and in east Asian countries suggest that extreme meddling by parents can have negative effects on their children's psychological development in both ...
Baby Einstein Controversy: Professor Offers Healthy Language Learning Alternatives for Young Children
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Nov 05, 2009 |
4.7 / 5 (3) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Baby Einstein videos have become a staple in many American households until recently when the Walt Disney Company decided to refund the product, acknowledging that these ever-popular videos were not intended ...
A growing PayPal could soon overshadow parent eBay
Nov 04, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Most people know eBay Inc. for its online marketplace, where deals abound on everything from gadgets to antique furniture. But soon, eBay's biggest business will likely be PayPal, the online payments ...
Deciphering the regulatory code: Scientists take new approach to predict gene expression
Nov 04, 2009 |
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Embryonic development is like a well-organised building project, with the embryo's DNA serving as the blueprint from which all construction details are derived. Cells carry out different functions according ...
Economist argues that public-private partnerships are a must in creating an HIV vaccine
Medicine & Health / HIV & AIDS
Nov 04, 2009 |
5 / 5 (2) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- MIT economist Jeffrey Harris argues that while the scientific obstacles to creating an HIV vaccine are great, the lack of commercial incentive poses a major problem.
Unraveling the mechanisms behind organ regeneration in zebrafish
Nov 02, 2009 |
5 / 5 (4) |
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The search for the holy grail of regenerative medicine -- the ability to "grow back" a perfect body part when one is lost to injury or disease -- has been under way for years, yet the steps involved in this ...
Possible origins of pancreatic cancer revealed
Nov 02, 2009 |
3 / 5 (1) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- MIT cancer biologists have identified a subpopulation of cells that can give rise to pancreatic cancer. They also found that tumors can form in other, more mature pancreatic cell types, but ...
Sex-based prenatal brain differences found
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Oct 23, 2009 |
4.5 / 5 (4) |
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Prenatal sex-based biological differences extend to genetic expression in cerebral cortices. The differences in question are probably associated with later divergences in how our brains develop. This is shown by a new study ...
Fetal study highlights impact of stress on male fertility
Oct 21, 2009 |
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Exposure to a combination of excess stress hormones and chemicals while in the womb could affect a man's fertility in later life, a study suggests.
Stereotypes can fuel teen misbehavior
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Oct 21, 2009 |
3.3 / 5 (3) |
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Drinking. Drugs. Caving into peer pressure. When parents expect their teenagers to conform to negative stereotypes, those teens are in fact more likely to do so, according to new research by Christy Buchanan, ...
Infant sucking habits may affect how baby talks
Oct 21, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Pacifier, baby bottle or finger sucking may hamper a child's speech development if the habit goes on too long.
New study provides insight on energy development and sage-grouse habitat in the intermountain West
Oct 16, 2009 |
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A study released October 14th in the current issue of the peer-reviewed journal PLoS ONE will shed new light on oil and gas development potential in the Intermountain West. Maps accompanying the study show the impacts to gre ...
Scientists demonstrate link between genetic defect and brain changes in schizophrenia
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Oct 16, 2009 |
5 / 5 (5) |
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For decades, scientists have thought the faulty neural wiring that predisposes individuals to behavioral disorders like autism and psychiatric diseases like schizophrenia must occur during development. Even so, no one has ...
